Idris Elba starring in 'Pacific Rim'

Idris Elba, best known to American audiences as The Wire‘s Stringer Bell, has officially signed on to star in Guillermo del Toro’s 2013 monster movie Pacific Rim. Elba’s reps confirmed to EW that the actor will play a character named “Sensi.” It’s going to be a busy couple of years for Elba — the actor is currently filming a role in the decidedly non-Alien-relatedPrometheus, and will also appear in next year’s Ghost Rider sequel. Pacific Rim, a movie that somehow involves both aliens and giant robots, will also star Charlie Hunnam and Charlie Day; currently scheduled for 2013, it’ll be del Toro’s first film since 2008’s Hellboy 2.